What is Your Neighbors' Biz?
Your Neighbors' Biz is a Google
map mash-up that locates neighbors in your social network who have connected
with you through Facebook. User-generated content on this site serves
three purposes: 1. To assist neighbors in finding and supporting hobbyist
services, such as dog-walking, hair-cutting, baby sitting, lawn mowing,
car washing, and so on, 2. To promote using the web for the discrete
purpose of socializing offline - specifically, to persuade web users
to meet their neighbors, and 3. To increase the client base of neighbors
who have side-jobs. Users of Your
Neighbors' Biz will be able to add their biz
or search
for neighbors who offer cottage services, indexed by a street address
and/or type of service or product. This public service project aims to
support local ventures that are low in scale and high in sociability
at no cost to the web user. This site is different from the classfied ads
(online and off) because it taps your pre-existing social network, so
you know that you can trust Your Neighbors' Biz. Hiring a neighbor
to cut your hair in the kitchen promotes getting to know your neighbors. Your
Neighbors' Biz is
a website that acts as a mediator for verifying and building trust between
neighbors who have grown socially distant from one another by connecting
them through trade in the analog world.
Who Wants to Use Your Neighbors' Biz?
Web users providing "off-the-grid" services (lawn care, babysitters, and so on) and citizens interested in employing their neighbors rather than professional services from the corporate strata comprise the Your Neighbors' Biz audience. Corporate chains successfully build trust in the consumer market because they create a consistent product. In the case of Your Neighbors' Biz, neighbors are introduced to each other for the purpose of commercial interactions in the social, public sphere. The trust that is built between newly made acquaintances will be reported to the site as user-generated ratings. Building trust in the online environment builds trust in the physical world. Neighbors will want to use this site because testimonials (left on Facebook) mitigate the risk that a consumer takes with unknown service providers.
Support Local Hobbies, Get To Know Your Neighbors!